words & pictures

me & the yoga

my background

I discovered yoga in 2006, at a difficult point in life. I tried pretty much everything on my quest for a sense of balance and peace – and then found yoga. I will always remember my first class – standing in Prasarita Padottanasana, sweating, head down between my legs, thinking “WTF is this!?” – but it felt amazing, it was special. What followed was a long journey of discovery – of this complex, multifaceted, powerful practice, and of myself. I sincerely believe that yoga is slowly but surely continuing to make me a better human being. It gives me the ability to give more, to receive more, to experience being present, to open up – ultimately, to move through life with more ease and joy.

teaching style

I teach Vinyasa yoga – sometimes called “Flow”. This style of yoga weaves traditional poses of Hatha yoga together through rhythmic, continuous movement. It also incorporates the alignment principles of modern anatomy. You can read more on Vinyasa yoga style below.

I value steadiness over pace and intelligent, progressive movement over making pretzels on the mat. I will encourage you to take your time – with the body, the mind and the practice. That said, you will be challenged, too. A little bit of fire helps us burn through what holds us back on the way towards positive transformation.

On my first training I fell in love with Restorative yoga, perfect complementing practice to Vinyasa. This exquisitely still, deep, beautiful practice is finding its way into my teaching, too.

I teach classes in English in Berlin. You can see my current schedule HERE.

…more on Vinyasa yoga and teaching (you can get yourself a cup of tea now :))

Vinyasa is creative, innovative and somewhat spontaneous; Vinyasa teachers around the world continue to experiment, study, re-create the flow. This is also the reason why you might take a Vinyasa Yoga class with two different teachers and have two very different experiences.

The flow simply means continuous movement and paced transitions from posture to posture, linking the breath with the movement. Or more precisely, tuning into the breath and allowing the breath to lead your movement.

As mentioned, Vinyasa is characterised by a level of creativity in practice, as there is no set sequence (as, for example, in Ashtanga) – we teachers design custom sequences for the class. However, in most group classes you can expect a well-rounded practice that balances and fine-tunes the body – and to a degree, the mind. Sequences can also focus on either parts of the body we work on (e.g. hips & shoulders), type of work (e.g. stretching, strengthening, back bends, arm balances) or themes (these are for the mind side of things).

Vinyasa yoga works this way: the continuous flow builds and maintains body heat, awakens energy and fluidity in the body. Holding the asana (postures) from 5 to 10 breaths helps to develop strength and suppleness – but also awareness, patience and discipline. This is also where the mind work starts to happen.

Yoga initiates the connection of the body, the mind, and the soul through its main vehicle, the breath. This remains the guiding principle for my classes: more than anything, you will be asked to breathe : ) There will be moments of challenge, but also emphasis on respect and kindness for one’s body. Together we will look at ways of calming the waves of the mind (“yoga chitta vritti nirodah”), explore elements of Pranayama (yogic breathing exercises).

In addition to group classes, I teach students in a private, one-to-one environment. I believe that a one-to-one yoga class can effectively change your practice for the better in a short amount of time. For a complete beginner, a short series of one-to-one sessions will build a solid base that will set you up for an effective and safe group practice. For an experienced yogi, this will provide the boost to get to the next level with stronger poses – for example, arm balances. The combination of full teacher focus, observations and, where appropriate, hands-on assists is the key here. My one-on-one classes hold an element of coaching, through a individual, tailored practice design, set goals and support with establishing a home practice. Last but not least, you will feel encouraged to practice commitment – to your own practice, to taking good care of yourself, to opening up – so that you can experience life with more fullness, grace and ease.